Showcase in SF

With Indian Market in full swing, the Native Cinema Showcase returns to Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Arts Cinematheque. The eighth annual showcase (also screening at Cathedral Park) will feature new and classic films and videos introduced by the filmmakers, panel discussions and workshops for young people. Honorary host Gary Farmer will be on hand with executive producer Sharon Grimberg, producer-director Dustinn Craig, producer-director Ric Burns and director Chris Eyre for the Thursday, Aug. 21, opening night premiere of We Shall Remain: Geronimo, a documentary in which strong, contemporary Apache voices explore the legend of Geronimo. For a complete listing of films and events (Aug. 21-24), log on to ccasantafe.org. Call (505) 982-1338 to inquire about pricing and reserve a festival pass.

The icy observations of Werner Herzog

By Devin D. O’Leary

Despite the multiple cinematic explorations of his rocky relationship with Mother Nature, it’s difficult to get a handle on just what mad German director Werner Herzog thinks about the less urban areas of our globe. Films like Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Where the Green Ants Dream, Grizzly Man and Rescue Dawn have pitted Herzog’s iconoclastic, single-minded heroes (real or imagined) against the pitiless mercies of nature. It’s a battle that mankind rarely wins—at least in the lens of Herzog’s camera. So what is Herzog’s obsession with greenery? Does he have a love/hate relationship with Gaia? A fear/fascination with the Forest Primeval? Has he read Moby-Dick one too many times?Whatever the answer, Herzog’s works are nearly always fascinating to behold.

Troma Triple B-Header (2004)

By Kurly Tlapoyawa

I was thumbing through the ol’ DVD collection a few days ago, trying to find something I hadn’t watched in a while, when I came across not one, but three horror classics from the ’80s packed onto a single disc. Being the glutton for fine ’80s horror cheese that I am, I just couldn’t resist the temptation. What disc was it, you ask? None other than the Troma Triple B-Header. Let’s get one thing clear: I love Troma movies. And while none of the films on this disc are written or directed by Troma legend Lloyd Kaufman, they certainly bear the mark of twisted excellence that Troma is proudly known for. So with popcorn in hand and a case of Mountain Dew at my side, I dug into the greatness that is the Troma Triple B-Header.

Top Ten Olympic Observations

By Devin D. O’Leary

I spent the last month and a half in Hong Kong, watching the unprecedented buildup to the 2008 Summer Olympics. Seeing the countdown clocks in the subway stations, wading though the piles of Olympic mascot merchandise in every store (Nini! On a horse!) and marveling at how officials were always able to cram one more Olympic poster on one more building was quite the education. (Though Hong Kong and China are officially “one nation, two systems” until the year 2046, China didn’t pass up the chance to slap the word “Beijing” on every flat surface in Hong Kong, letting every picture-snapping tourist know exactly who was in charge.)